Great Hair 2012: Washington Men With Winning Facial Hair

Sure, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt sported distinguished facial hair, but modern Washington men seem more comfortable with a close shave—though there are exceptions. We asked Mike Gilman, cofounder of the Grooming Lounge, and Aaron Perlut, chairman of the American Mustache Institute, to tell us who around town has winning facial hair.

Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Ted Leonsis

Entrepreneur

“His goatee is pretty iconic at this point—it’s part of who he is, and he wears it effortlessly,” says Gilman. “Hard to imagine him without it.”

Photograph by Adam Davis/Icon SMI/Newscom.

Jayson Werth

Nationals outfielder

“While it’s not the most well groomed of beards, he pulls it off well,” says Gilman. “It seems to match his offbeat personality.”

Photograph by Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call/Newscom.

Henry Waxman

Congressman

“His mustache is certainly unique,” says Gilman. “You don’t see too many like that nowadays.”

Photograph by Len Rizzi.

Jim Vance

Channel 4 Anchor

“DC’s news king has had a goatee for so long, I bet most wouldn’t even note that he has facial hair if asked,” Gilman says.

Photograph by Clint Spaulding/Patrick Mcmullan/Newscom.

Wolf Blitzer

CNN anchor

“Nobody has sported a more consistently well-taken-care-of beard,” says Gilman. “He gets extra points for not coloring either his hair or his beard.”

Photograph by Kristoffer Tripplaar/Sipa/Newscom.

Eric Holder

US attorney general

“He’s the first mustached attorney general since Francis Biddle in 1945,” says Perlut.